Border Hopping & Barrel Tasting: Discover the Stateline Whiskey Tour

Did you know that there are 46 distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail? If you don’t have the time to drink around the entire state of Kentucky, the Stateline Whiskey Tour is for you! 

The Stateline Whiskey Tour is the perfect size tour.  It’s made up of three different distilleries along the Kentucky and Tennessee border: Casey Jones Distillery, MB Roland Distillery, and Old Glory Distillery Co. so you can easily complete it in a day.

Once you’ve completed the tour, you get a commemorative wooden flight paddle made from a piece of an old whiskey barrel. The paddle goes perfectly with the shot glasses you receive at each location for the tours!

Stateline Whiskey Tour: Everything You Need to Know 

The Stateline Whiskey Tour requires you to tour and complete tastings at three distilleries along the Southwest part of the Tennesee and Kentucky Stateline. These three distilleries are all within 30 miles of each other (plan for the drive to take a bit longer than you think as you will encounter some 35mph sections of road). Even though this is a whiskey tour, the tastings include samples from a wide selection of whiskey, bourbon, and moonshine.

Each tour and tasting will cost around $15 per person and can be expected to take anywhere between 45min-1hr.  After each tour, you’ll receive a souvenir shot glass and the final prize (flight paddle) once you’ve visited all three stops. 

The Difference Between Bourbon, Whiskey and Moonshine

During your tastings on the tour, you’ll get to sample bourbon, whiskey, and moonshine. The difference between these three alcohols is that all bourbon and moonshine are whiskeys but not all whiskeys are bourbon and moonshine. 

Whiskey can be distilled up to 190 proof and has to be aged in oak barrels. Moonshine is an unaged corn whiskey that was popular during Prohibition. It was illegal until the last 10 years or so, but today, distilleries can make it as long as they get a permit.

To be considered a bourbon by the American Bourbon Association needs to be made in the USA and be distilled from a grain mixture that contains at least 51% corn and is aged in new barrels made from charred oak. Bourbon also needs to be distilled at 160 proof or less and then diluted to no less than 80 proof before bottling. 

To make it even more confusing, Tennessee Whiskey is a bourbon that has to be made in Tennessee. It then has an extra step called charcoal mellowing.  Simply put, this means that the final step is the whiskey is filtered through coal.

While sampling the different drinks, you’ll notice that bourbon is smoother in taste than whiskey. 

Casey Jones Distillery

Casey Jones is in Hopkinsville, KY, and the most northern location of the three distilleries on the tour. During the tour, you will learn about the Jones family’s history of making and running moonshine and their distilling process from start to finish. 

They distill their moonshine in a square pot coffin style still, just like the original moonshiner Casey Jones had built. After the tour, you’ll head to the tasting counter in the gift shop where you’ll be able to choose around 8 different alcohols to sample.

This distillery has a fish-stocked lake behind it, where you can go fishing as long as you call ahead. They have a cute senior dog named Rosie onsite and they are also dog-friendly if you have your pup with you. There is also a bar area where you can order drinks like a Moonarita (which is delicious).  

If you like the Moonaritas as much as we did, you can buy a Moonarita kit, to make your own, and other souvenirs and alcohol at the gift shop. Enjoy your beverage on the back patio or down at the lake. Be mindful that they don’t serve ‘real’ food, but purchase snacks like chips near the bar.

MB Roland Distillery

A little farther south in Pembroke, Kentucky is MB Roland. This distillery is located in a more rural area amidst the Amish. During the tour, you’ll hear how they got started and see how they make their liquor from start to finish while enjoying the company of two dogs and several cats that live onsite.

During the tasting located inside their gift shop, you will get to enjoy their selection of alcohol that they make including their Kentucky Lemonade which was one of our favorites. This is also where you can purchase souvenirs and alcohol.  

 Old Glory Distillery Co

Old Glory is conveniently located off I-24 just over the Kentucky/Tennessee state line in Clarksville, TN. When you walk into the distillery you’ll see a large window that looks into the area where you can see the machines in action making alcohol. During your tour, you’ll get to go inside this room where their distilling process is explained in detail. 

Old Glory was started by a local firefighter and you will see some items in the gift shop geared toward first responders. Just like the other two distilleries, you can get your animal fix here too in the form of a cat that hangs out in the distilling area.                                         

After the tour, you’ll have your tasting at a table in the center of the large gift shop and bar area. The bar serves alcohol throughout the day and has several high-top tables and chairs where you can relax with your drinks. 

Nearby Attractions:

Need ideas of places to visit in and around the Stateline Whiskey Tour? Check out these stops.

Attractions Near the Stateline Whiskey Tour:

• Hopkinsville Visitor Center
• Trail of Tears Commemorative Park
• National Corvette Museum

Dog-friendly Attractions near the Stateline Whiskey Tour:

• Land Between the Lakes 
• Mammoth Cave National Park
• Abraham Lincoln Sites

Two States, One Spirit!

Ready to cross state lines in search of exceptional spirits? The Stateline Whiskey Tour includes three of the best Kentucky and Tennessee distilleries, all within 30 miles of each other. Not only will you get to taste a delicious selection of whiskey, but you’ll also get a signature shot glass at each stop. After you’ve toured all three businesses, you’ll also get a beautiful commemorative flight paddle to proudly display at home.

If you find yourself loving the distillery tour and tasting experience, you can expand your sights to take on the bigger Kentucky Bourbon or Tennessee Whiskey Trail.